Irish-language youth station Raidió Rí-Rá Begins Broadcasting on DAB

Irish-language youth station Raidió Rí-Rá began broadcasting on the DAB platform in Dublin and Waterford July 1.

Nominated for a Barr 50 Gnó le Gaeilge 2010 award, which recognizes excellence in business, and for the Oireachtas na Gaeilge communications’ awards in 2009, 2011 and 2012, Raidió Rí-Rá has been active in offering music and Irish-language services to young people since it began broadcasting.

The station is available online, and is active in utilizing social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook. It has also developed a free-to-download iPhone application.

“It is essential that young people in Ireland have the choice of Irish available to them as part of any new communications’ project such as DAB, and Raidió Rí-Rá hopes to provide the best possible radio service, full-time and on a national basis, on DAB, FM and digital television systems in the future,” said Traic Ó Braonáin, Raidió Rí-Rá chairperson.

“475 million people have access to digital audio broadcasting worldwide so far, and as such it is the perfect medium for taking Irish out of the classroom, where it is seen solely as a school subject,” says Braonáin “and broadcasting Raidió Rí-Rá directly into the ordinary daily lives of young people in Ireland, through music, through talk radio and through great fun on the radio.”

Raidió Rí-Rá will be available on DAB in Cork and Limerick before the end of this year, and nationally in the future.

(Source : Radio World)